Stay in School
by Zima Zimavich
Summary: Alfred and his brother, Matthew, have just started a new year at a new school...again. Everything is great, though! But, Alfred's new friend seems a bit strange...
1. Part 1: Summer

_Summary: Twenty years ago something odd happened in the town. Since then, no one has left. Nothing compels them to stay, except for perhaps the event that happened around twenty years ago...(The summary has pretty much nothing to do with the story, whoops, except for maybe more background than the actual story will give.)_

**Stay in School**

School started in what was still considered summer, which Alfred never really understood. (He also never got why every store felt the need to begin selling School Supplies in July, but.) It started in the last week of August, every year. And every year was at a different school – that's what happened when the company your dad worked for realized that his dad got restless pretty easily, and keeping him moving annually was really the best solution for everyone.

Nearly.

Fifteen states in seventeen years did not warrant stable, long-lasting friendships. Sure, making friends was something Alfred did well, but making friends that would _still be his friend _after he left...that was a bit more difficult. As a result, he and his (older, and _how _he resented that fact) twin Matthew were close. Buying houses and apartments were easy for their dad, since he only really needed to find two bedrooms – they were still totally fine with bunk beds.

However, a lack of friends going into school on the first day always proved to be difficult. Mattie seemed to do fine, blending in and going invisible or whatever, but unfortunately, Alfred couldn't (and didn't want to!). Especially when the school assigned him a 'buddy' to show him around the school and make sure he didn't get lost, or try to enter a locked bathroom when he _really_ had to go (it was surprising how many schools did that, and didn't tell them which ones would be locked on which days). Sometimes his 'buddy' was a cute girl, but more often than not they were geeky band kids who cared more about the condition of their instrument than actual social contact. Those kids (usually) barely spoke to him and walked through the hallways _so fast, _backpack strap firmly on both shoulders, carrying three giant books, and usually looked as if the smallest breeze would knock them over (backwards) leaving them stranded and flailing on their back, like a beetle.

Alfred wouldn't actually know, though, until he went to the office. Matt had already drifted off somewhere, so Al put on his brave face and went to find the office.

It wasn't hard to find. Once there, some secretary gave him his schedule, homeroom, and locker number (all of which she _swore_ she mailed him), and prodded him to move _just _a bit faster, please, the bell would go off any minute and he didn't want to be late on the first day, did he? So he flashed her a Hollywood-worthy smile, and scrambled out.

He didn't think it'd be so bad stopping at his locker before homeroom, though. After all, he didn't know where he was going! Would they _really_ punish him?

As he neared his locker, he saw that someone was standing in front of it. Must be his buddy. It wasn't a cute girl, but he didn't look particularly geeky, either. In fact, he looked like a football player. He was tall (taller than Alfred, who was pretty tall, himself), a bit chubby, with really pale blonde hair, and a biggish nose. He was wearing a sweater, scarf, and boots even though it _was_ August and Al was sweating in his T-shirt and Nike's. Whatever. Maybe he had bad circulation?

When Alfred got close, he waved enthusiastically, with a "Hiya! What's up?" He didn't get an immediate reply, so he plowed on, "I'm Alfred F. Jones. New here, but you knew that probably already. You're my buddy, right? Could you, um, move? You're kinda in my way."

The other boy looked a little confused, but moved aside. "Buddy?"

"Yeah!" Alfred starting fiddling with the lock trying to memorize the combination on the first try. "You're supposed to...show me around an' stuff. Yannow, which bathrooms are always open, which teachers not to piss off, the quickest way around, what not to eat, that sort of thing."

The bell rang, but the other boy didn't seem bothered by it, so Alfred wasn't either. He began shoving random things into the locker – some notebooks, binders, pencils, a gym bag. Al wasn't really known for a neat and orderly locker.

"I can...do that. Yes," the other boy spoke slowly as he pushed himself off of the locker he was leaning on. "Where is your homeroom?"

"Uh...A106," Alfred said as he rummaged through his stuff, looking for a map. Finally, he found one and studied it for a moment. "All the way on the other side of the place? Why's it all spread out? Haven't they ever heard of a second floor?"

"It's one fourth of a mile from the end of this hallway to the end of the A Wing," the other boy chirped happily, "and there _is_ a second floor! That's where the gym is."

Alfred looked at his schedule and, lo and behold, he had gym right before lunch. "'S a stupid place for a gym. Everyone below can hear them stompin' around."

"It's over the cafeteria, so no one really cares. Come." The other boy took Alfred's arm and began leading him to a hallway, saying, "The best way to go is through the E Wing hallway, the one we are in now. It'd be better if they let us go through the courtyards, but we've been trying for _years_-"

"Where are you from?" Alfred asked, shaking the other guy off his elbow. Because, ew. Only little old women did that, and this dude was none of those. "Because you sound like you're from Transylvania or something."

His 'buddy' looked at him like he was an idiot and said, "Transylvania is in Romania. I am not from there. I lived in..." He frowned for a moment before answering. "Russia. I moved here as a sophomore."

"Aw, cool! So you're a junior, too?"

"Ny-no. I am a senior. I am...19."

"Whoa!" Alfred turned to face the other, not really paying attention to where he was still going. "You're old, dude. You should've graduated ages ago! Why're you still here?"

"Ah." A look of pain flashed across his face, but was quickly ignored by both parties. "When we moved here, they put us all in a grade lower than we should have been. To make sure we knew what we were doing, I guess." There was a pause, where the boy grew deadly serious. "I cannot leave, Alfred. I wanted to be a chemist."

Alfred opened his mouth, but his buddy raised a hand to shush him. "Later. We are here. I'll be waiting outside when it is over to take you to your next class."

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

As it turned out, he _hadn't _been allowed to wander the halls after the bell. He didn't get in too much trouble (just a 'don't do it again or you'll get a detention'), but still. It was his first day!

His buddy kept his word for the most part, and showed him to every class. Until gym, that is.

After his class before gym, Alfred waited. After a few minutes of standing around awkwardly and watching people, he decided to brave it for himself. How hard could it be? His buddy had said it was on the second floor, over the cafeteria on the way coming in, so now all he had to do was find the stairs.

It was not as easy as he thought. They were _nowhere_ to be found. Maybe behind a door somewhere? In a closet? The auditorium? (Well, okay, the auditorium had stairs, but those led to some dark and damp place.) As the crowd thinned and it got closer to the bell, Alfred swallowed his pride and grabbed a straggler.

"Where are the stairs?"

"What?"

"The _stairs_. Where are they? I need to get to the gym."

The man looked at him (tan skin, curly brown hair, green eyes), and looked confused. "The stairs? I don't remember this place having stairs. Unless they just put them in..." He shook his head. "We have no stairs here! Sorry amigo, but I think someone tricked you."

Alfred stood there, trying to process this, as the man walked away...and walked back again. "But you wanted to know where the gym is? I'm headed there now. We should hurry though. I would seem irresponsible if I was late to my own class!"

Alfred blinked and followed, trying to make sense of what he just heard. First, this random person he grabbed was a _teacher_, and he'd made himself look like an idiot. Second, how gullible _was_ he? Finally, his buddy _lied_ to him. Why would he do that? Obviously, someone had deemed him responsible enough to show some poor kid around, but then he'd gone and told him to go to the second floor!

Oh, Alfred was going to have _words_ with...with...he never even gave his _name_!

_So many words _were going to be had.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Gym passed easily (Alfred had always been athletic, and on sports teams at some of his other schools, so he didn't make much of a fool of himself), and now it was lunch.

Once he had his tray, he tried to find Mattie but, as always, his invisibility powers were switched to ON, and Al couldn't find him anywhere. He couldn't find his not-anymore buddy, either. So he found an empty table by the window and sat down. Whatever.

He had just started eating when he felt a hand loop under each armpit and pull him up. He flailed for a second before spinning around and seeing who decided lifting him up was the best way to get his attention. When he saw it was his ex-buddy he started to speak, but the other was faster.

"We are eating outside." He gestured to the door next to the window, which showed a couple of students sitting down at the picnic tables.

Anger momentarily forgotten, Alfred stared and asked, "We can do that?"

"_I _can do that. And you can come with me." At that, he grabbed Alfred's arm and led him outside. "Since I'm a senior, I can eat outside when the weather is nice. We are allowed to bring friends if we want."

As they sat down at an empty table, Alfred repeated, "Friends?"

"Mn. I thought so."

"Friends give each other their _name_. And they don't _lie_."

His kind-of-not buddy looked confused for a second, and then laughed. "Is an old joke, see? Because the building is all one floor, we say that something is on the second floor to confuse the freshmen. And new kids. Your confused face is adorable."

Alfred huffed. "It is not! And, and how could you know? You weren't even there! I thought you were supposed to show me where my classes were and guide me around and stuff. You're a pretty shit buddy."

"Ah...sorry about that. I got...held up, in the class before. But, I made it up by taking you out, yeah?"

"You...mean out_side_. You took me _outside_. Well thanks, I guess. You still suck at being a buddy."

His sort-of buddy gave him a Look and said, "Of course that's what I meant."

Alfred, still in a pouty mood, looked up at the other. "I still don't know your name. If we're gonna be friends that's kind of something I need to know."

"R-right." For the first time, the other boy looked unsure of himself, then said, in a small voice, "Ivan Braginsky." He paused for a moment, and then asked, "so we are friends now?"

Alfred glared at him for a moment, then smiled. "Sure! Of course we are! And as your friend, I am obligated to ask, why aren't you eating?"

Ivan looked at Alfred's half-empty tray, then his own bare spot before stating, "I am not hungry."

Alfred gaped at him. "Are you _sure_? Because you're a pretty big guy and probably need a lot of food to keep up your energy so you don't just fall over somewhere. Unless it's one of those crazy diets. It isn't, is it? That's a bad idea, too." At this point, he decided the best plan of action would be to feed Ivan himself. He picked up an apple slice and began leaning across the table, while saying "One time Mattie decided he only wanted to eat carrots, always." He inched closer and closer to Ivan's mouth, half-tempted to make train whistle noises. "After a while he turned orange and dad took him to the doctor and – Hey!" Ivan bit down on Alfred's hand. "Who the fuck _bites_ people?"

"What if I didn't want apple? Maybe I was craving meat...or blood." Ivan grinned at Alfred.

Al inspected his hand. The bite didn't do much; it wasn't very hard, and the teeth marks were almost gone. "I'm tellin' ya dude. You better not be some kind of vampire-cannibal thing...or have rabies."

Ivan still looked pretty smug. "I think you're safe. But," he looked at his watch, "we should go back inside and get to class, before they lock us out."

Alfred looked at him. "Uh, yeah...hey, d'ya think I have time to go to my locker before my next class?"

Ivan thought for a moment before answering. "Your next class is in the B Wing? You'll have time if you hurry."

"Great, dude. C'mon."

When they got to Al's locker, Ivan leaned on the one next to it. "This used to be my locker."

"Really? Hey, maybe that's why you got assigned to me. They knew how much a locker in this wing sucked and wanted to, I don't know, instill some sort of guidance?" Al shoved in some random notebooks, and took out a few, tossing them in his backpack.

Ivan chuckled. "I doubt that. I'm sure it was merely coincidence." He looked down the hall. "Most of my classes weren't far from here, so it was not that bad," and then in a nearly inaudible voice, "they've expanded a lot in recent years. It's almost like they're trying to forget..."

Alfred ignored the last bit (one of his strong suites was tuning people out). "Yeah, well, lucky you." He grumbled and stood up, slammed the locker shut, and gave to lock one extra spin for good measure. He then shouldered his backpack. "You ready?"

"I have been ready this whole time."

"Really? You don't need anything at all? You don't even have a _backpack_."

Ivan looked vaguely uncomfortable for a moment before shrugging and stating simply, "I have easy classes this semester."

"Alright, whatever. It's just 'cause you're a senior, you know. Where's the B Wing?"

Ivan set a swift pace as they walked through the curved E Wing hallway. "This way. You passed it on your way to homeroom this morning." When they got to the CEC hallway, he gave a few facts about it. "This used to be the cafeteria, in the early nineties. It's hard to believe after seeing the cafeteria used today."

"You're lying again. There's no way this could be used as a cafe."

"No, I am sure I'm telling you the truth. Ask anyone. It seems to be common knowledge. And, of course, the school was much smaller then."

Alfred was still disbelieving, and said so. Ivan responded with, "It's true! And there is a bomb shelter under the pool. You'll want to ask the older teachers about that one – they enjoy ranting about how impractical it is, and most younger teachers deny it's existence."

"Okay, sure. And how do you know _that_? Don't tell me it's more 'common knowledge'. You haven't been here long enough for that!"

"They mail the seniors a little book with all the school's secrets in it," Ivan deadpanned.

Alfred's eyes widened. "_Really_?"

"No," Ivan laughed, "I just heard it from others. I _listen_."

They got to Alfred's classroom a few minutes before the bell rang. "Are there any other secrets you feel the need to share?"

Ivan shrugged. "There is a rumor floating around that claims that someone died here. They never found the body. You can ask whoever you want, but no one is willing to talk about it and not many know."

"S-someone died? Here?" How do you know if no one else does? How did you even find out?"

"Old newspapers. I found them in the library. They took them all out last year, though. I guess they didn't want anyone to know." Ivan spoke simply, shrugging, with a small smile tugging on his lips.

"Then – how –,"Alfred studied Ivan and, when he saw the smile, punched his arm. "You're _lying_! This time, you definitely are."

Fully grinning now, Ivan lightly shoved Al toward the door of the classroom. "Go to class. You don't want to be late again."

"But what about you? Won't you be late?"

Still smiling, Ivan looked at Alfred and said, "I'm sure I'll be fine. Don't worry." He then turned and pulled a Mattie; somehow, despite his height and frame, he seemed to disappear in the now-thinning crowd.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

After that class, Ivan (again) kept his promise and (again) disappeared after his last class. It was alright, though. _This_ time Alfred knew where he was going.

He also found Mattie, once he started walking home. While they didn't live in the housing development behind the school, they lived close enough so that they could walk.

"Hey! Mattie! Where were you all day?" Alfred asked once he caught up to his brother.

"With you."

"All day? Bro, that's kind of creepy. Why didn't you say anything?"

Matt turned and bopped Al on his forehead. "_No,_ not _all day_. I was with you until we got our lockers – mine's in the opposite direction of yours. And I was in your homeroom and called to you at lunch."

Alfred sulked a bit and rubbed his forehead. Matt had a _boney_ palm – that _hurt_. "Well I didn't see you. But," he brightened considerably, "I got to eat lunch with my buddy!"

"Your...buddy? But we didn't get buddies this time."

"Are you sure they didn't just forget about you again? Because I definitely had one, and I _know_ I didn't make him up."

"_Yes,_ I'm sure, _Alfred._ I asked and I know she heard me because she answered. She said they couldn't do the buddy thing."

Alfred frowned, confused. "But, he said that's what he was...Uh, anyway. Have you made any friends yet?"

"Yeah..." Matt went on to describe everyone he'd met, in the subtly satirical way he always had. He'd befriended an oddly expressionless boy, a loud Cuban, and a few others. He had wanted Al to sit with him at lunch so he could meet them.

It seemed that, for once, Matt made more friends on the first day than Al.

They then went into talking about the teachers, and how the English security guard cursed the lights out of everyone, but still somehow kept his job.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

The next day, Alfred walked in to find Ivan leaning on Al's locker. He walked up and punched Ivan in the shoulder – _hard_. Ivan didn't move, though his eyes did widen in surprise as he rubbed his shoulder. "That hurt. Is 'hello' not good enough?"

"Yeah, yeah," Alfred waved off everything Ivan had said, "You're a _fucking dick_ and a _liar_ and -"

"Alfred calm down. There are people around -"

"No, _you_ calm down. Mattie said we didn't _get_ buddies, so why'd you lie and _make me late_? And with the dead kid -"

"- I think I apologized -"

"_I_ think you _didn't_. You're probably not even from Russia and I bet you gave me a fake name, you _lying liar_."

Ivan sighed. "We can eat lunch together again, today, if you want. Outside. But now, go to class. You do not want to be late again."

Al watched as Ivan walked away, but he was still in a shouty mood, so he said (loudly), "Yeah, I _will_ go to class! I'll be on time today! I hope your pants explode!" Okay, so maybe he shouldn't have wished exploding pants on his only friend (so far!) at his new school. He didn't even know where it came from! The 'liar liar pants on fire' thing? But it was only after he said it that he realized how wrong it sounded.

Why was he even so mad? Was it...was it _actually_ because Mattie had made more friends yesterday? What a stupid reason! Obviously, it was all Ivan's fault.

**%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%**

Alfred was actually planning on sitting with Ivan at lunch, but he got distracted by his brother and his friends. He recognized three of them from classes they shared, but not the others. Midway through the period he remembered he was supposed to fume/apologize to Ivan, and hurried off to the doors, leaving behind very confused lunch-mates.

Ivan was not happy. "I was hoping that you would have joined me sooner. Now we have fifteen minutes"

Alfred huffed. "Yeah, well. I'm here now, aren't I?"

Ivan gave Alfred a long and hard look, studying every feature of his face, _judging_ him. "Why are you so angry today? Are you normally like this?"

Alfred squirmed a bit and looked away. His eyes were _purple_! How had he not noticed before? It was _unusual_ and this guy was _weird._ (Sure, his brother's eyes were vaguely the same color, but his brother didn't _stare_ at him like that.) "No, I'm usually a pretty chill guy. Like yesterday, 's the normal me. Dunno why I'm so mad. Guess I just woke up wanting to punch something." Before the conversation could progress (and they started talking about _feelings_, ugh), Alfred thought a Sudden Subject Change was in order, "So...sports. Any good ones here? Play any? Oh! So that's why you disappeared after school yesterday! You went to practice."

For a moment, Ivan looked completely baffled at the subject change, and even more at the assumption that he played something, or at least _knew_ about them. "Ah...no, sorry. I know they have some, but I don't play."

"Aw, why not? I'm sure you'd make a _killer_ football player."

"Hockey is more what I would play, but they don't have a team...besides, for me there is nothing beyond school."

At this, it was Alfred's turn to look baffled. "Really? No friends or anything?"

Ivan was starting to look uncomfortable again, and tried shifting the focus back to his partner. "No. Why did you ask about the sports?"

"Aw, just curious, you know. Trying to figure out if joining them is worth it. But I guess it's too late for the fall, right?" Ivan nodded. "So I guess I'll try for spring. Somethin' to do, anyway." Al shrugged and tried looking at the clock, but at this distance he couldn't read it even with his glasses.

Ivan noticed and said, "We have a few minutes before we must leave. Do you want to get a head start?"

Alfred looked at him, not sure whether to believe him or not. "Nah. But how do I know you're not lying?"

"You could always get a watch," Ivan grinned. "But I _am_ sorry, for yesterday. I suppose I misunderstood what you meant."

"Yeah, well, you shoulda said so. But no more lying, okay? Everything is _totally_ truthful from here on out."

Ivan grinned, though he still looked uncomfortable. Alfred ignored it. "Da, okay. And now it _is_ time to go, honest."

End Summer.

**#############################################################################################################**

((Because you totally needed another Russ/Ame/Russ high school fic. Yup. It was kind of...a little bit (_heavily_) based on a dream I had the other night. And then I really really wanted to write it because why not? I hope it's okay? I want it to be four parts for four seasons. But hm. Dunno really how I wanna do it. I thought I did, but now I'm getting all these _ideas _and I'm not so sure. Oh well, I'll probably just go with what I originally thought.

But, uh. Updates will take _forever_, probably. Like, in March. School is starting again and I don't know when I'll have time to write or if I even will but I _want to do this._ I would really like to finish it, I've got _stuff_ planned (which actually okay isn't probably as cool as it sounds), and I'd like to not feel so worthless. Maybe this will help? (But LOL yeah prolly not whatever.) I hope you like it.))


	2. Part 2: Fall

Weeks passed. Summer faded as Fall settled in, bringing changing leaves, cool air, and Homecoming.

Homecoming was the talk of the school. What the theme would be, who was going with who, what they'd wear, who the king and queen would be. Not Al, that was certain. He wasn't popular this year. Loud, charismatic, and well-liked, sure, but not enough to have enough friends to win 'King'. In fact, beyond Ivan, Mattie, and (sometimes) Mattie's friends, Alfred didn't have many friends. He didn't care much, though. He didn't much care for most folk here anyway. Besides, he had tons of video games to keep him company and entertained outside of school.

As they were sitting down to dinner one night ('they' as in Al and Mattie, and 'dinner' being standing in the kitchen eating cold, leftover pizza), Mattie said, "Are you planning on going to the dance?"

Alfred played dumb (though to be honest, he hadn't been paying much attention), and asked, "What?"

"C'mon, you know. Homecoming. Or, the game or the parade...or do you plan on becoming a hermit?"

Al cocked his head in mock thought and rubbed his chin. "You know, that's a damn good idea. I can hole myself up up in here, live off snacks, play video games,tell everyone I'm paying homage to the God of Games..."

"...Die half a ton overweight, unclean, lonely. And you couldn't talk. That alone would kill you!" Mattie finished for him, smiling.

"Hey! It wouldn't be that bad! It would be fun."

"And how would you sustain yourself?"

"You'd help! And dad. You two would take care of me."

"No! You'd be on your own for that..." Matthew trailed off, and shifted the topic back to the original.

"So, the dance? I think you should go. I am."

Alfred still didn't know. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go, or even if he felt like doing anything at all. He shoved a nearly whole slice of pizza in his mouth and refused to answer for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>The next day at school, Matthew had to...visit a teacher, or attend some club. Al didn't really know, but whatever. He'd promised Mattie he'd wait for him so they could walk home together, and decided now would be a great time to (try to) get all his Pokemon to the same general level. He'd beaten his Fire Red version (a few times) already, but whatever, he wasn't doing anything else.<p>

Between cursing his Metapod for having shitty moves and losing every battle, grumbling about using only one scree on his DSi, and wondering exactly what the hell was taking Mattie so long, he didn't hear someone coming up beside him.

"What is that?"

Al jumped nearly a foot before whirling around and shouting, "Ivan! What're you doing here?"

Ivan just shrugged and smiled. "I had to stay for something. But I got bored, and started to wander. Then I saw you, and came over! But what is _that_?" Ivan poked Al's Dsi. "And why does it have a black sqaure on it?"

Al just looked at Ivan. He studied his face. Tried to see if he was serious or not. He let out a nervous laugh. _Surely_ Ivan was kidding. Right? "A DSi. You know, a cooler DS." Alfred was getting nowhere. "Like...an über-modern Gameboy?"

Recognition spread across Ivan's face. "Oh! I know of that! I have one."

"...A Gameboy? Really? Like, a really old one, or..."

"Da, one of those."

"Er...-" Al was cut off, as Mattie suddenly appeared, grabbed Al's arm and dragged him towards the door. Al let him, and went to wave good-bye to Ivan, only...he wasn't there anymore. He just sort of chalked it up to Ivan being his normal weird self.

"Whoa, Mattie, what's the rush?" Al asked, turning around so he wasn't speed walking backwards.

"We should get home before it gets dark." Mattie answered, as he all but dragged his brother along.

"That ain't it," Al threw his arms open. "We have plenty of daylight left!" They didn't really, but it wasn't going to be so dark they couldn't see anytime soon.

"No, I...just need to get home really soon."

Al wasn't sure why _he_ needed to go, too, but...he knew that tone of voice. In a teasing tone, he asked, "Was it a girl?"

Matthew looked absolutely horrified. "No! No...yes. I-I gave Chelle my number, and I don't want to miss it if she calls...I know it's stupid," he mumbled, looking at the ground.

Al looked at Mattie like he had two heads. "Whoa, bro, what? It's not stupid at all! You're a total ladykiller, you've got nothing to worry about! But, uh...who's this 'Chelle' chick?"

Mattie gave his brother a flat look. "She's one of the people I hang out with? Dark skin, dark hair, that she wears in pigtails?" Al's face remained blank. "Maybe if you didn't hang out with your boyfriend all the time..."

"Boyfriend?"

"Are you _here_ today? Your memory is shit. The guy you always hang out with! Ivan."

Alfred playfully punched Matt in the shoulder. "He's not my boyfriend, assdick. You know I prefer the more..._delicate_ sex. There is _nothing_ delicate about him. We're _bros_, dude."

"Right..."

* * *

><p>As it turned out, the boys had perfect timing. The moment they got home, Chelle called and Matthew landed himself a date. Alfred, because of a father who insisted the boys be together at all times (lest they be thrust into some sort of peril) and an insecure brother, suddenly found himself attending the dance as well. Dateless.<p>

The next day as Al walked to his locker, he saw Ivan sitting on a bench, very engaged in a gray plastic brick. Obviously, Alfred approached him.

"Hey, what's up? What'cha doin'?" Alfred asked.

Ivan grunted in reply. Alfred peered closer.

"Is, is that—DUDE, is that a _Gameboy_? Like, an _original_?!"

"Go away."

"But, like, look at it! It's in great condition, no glitches, it's _perfect_ where'd you get it _lemme see_-" Al made a few swipes for it, nearly _crawling_ over Ivan.

Ivan squirmed away and held it out of his friend's reach, still trying to play. "Go away! You're going to—AURGH!" He sat normally, slumped a bit, and brought his hands to rest on his lap, holding the game loosely in his hands. "I was _trying_ to max the game. But now I've lost and my stats are skewed-"

Alfred grabbed the game out of Ivan's hands. "But where'd you get it? How did this perfect relic come into your hands?" He fiddled with it, and asked, "You were trying to max _Tetris_? That's not even possible."

"It is. I've done it a few times."

"Hah! I'd like to see that."

Ivan gave Alfred a sort of (but not really) mock glare. "You could have, if you hadn't tried climbing on me. I'm very good at Tetris. I've had a lot of practice."

Alfred gave Ivan a side glance and handed the game back. "I'm sure you have."

Ivan gave Al an odd look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Alfred opened his mouth to respond with a witty comment, but before anything could come out another voice joined the conversation.

"You boys should hurry to class. The last bell will ring any minute."

Both Ivan and Alfred snapped their heads up to see who spoke. A moderately tall and lanky man stood in front of them. "Oh, 'sup Mr. L?"

"Hello Alfred. Now, both of you should really—I-Ivan?!" Mr. Laurinaitis went pale and took a step back.

Al was up and fluttering around Mr. Laurinaitis in a second. "Whoa Mr. L, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost...th-there aren't any, right?"

Mr. L looked like he was about to say something, but Ivan spoke before he had a chance. "Yes, _Mr. Laurinaitis_, what's wrong?" He spoke in a slightly mocking tone, with a smirk on his face.

Mr Laurinaitis composed himself and waved Alfred off. "Go to class, Alfred. I need to speak with Ivan."

Al shrugged and waved good-bye to Mr. L and Ivan. "See ya later!" He practically ran down the hall. He couldn't be late again!

* * *

><p>During science, Alfred went to the library. He'd said it was to research his science project, but...he wanted to know more about this dead kid. Ivan had said it was a lie, but Al needed to be sure. That stnt earlier with Mr. L brought up <em>all kinds<em> of worrying thoughts. What if the school was haunted? He didn't want to go to a school where some dead kid may hang around. He was brave, yeah, but there were places he drew the line. (Plus, ghosts were just freaky.)

He booted up the computer (which took forever, these things were _ancient_), logged onto one of the school's 'credible databases', typed in his keywords, and began to search. He was about to click on a promising article ("_Student Dies Weeks Before Graduation_"), when he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around his shoulders, and someone's hair tickling his neck.

Al promptly freaked the fuck out.

He shouted, flailed, and somehow overturned the keyboard, mouse, and his chair all at the same time. He whirled around to see Ivan watching him with a small smile.

Alfred frowned and righted the chair. "Haven't you ever heard of personal space?"

Ivan hummed and looked at the computer monitor. "What were you doing?"

Al looked at the screen, too. "Nothing." For a moment, both of them stared at the screen.

Ivan stopped smiling. "You shouldn't look that up. Don't do it again."

Alfred looked affronted. "Why shouldn't I look it up? You can't tell me what to do!"

"You might find something you don't want to."

"What-" Alfred cut himself off as the lights in the library surged and all of the computers went black. He jiggled the mouse of the one he had been using. Still off. He tried pressing the power button, to no avail. The computer wouldn't turn back on.

They both stared at it for a moment before Ivan spoke. "It must have been a power surge. But please, don't ever look for that again. It's nothing you need to worry about." He was smiling again as he turned and left the library.

Alfred stood in the library a moment longer, wondering what Ivan had just done to that poor computer, _why_ he was so touchy about this and, most importantly, how the _fuck_ he was going to to explain to his science teacher that he couldn't do his research because all the computers mysteriously stopped working.

* * *

><p>Lunch wasn't awkward <em>at all<em>. He and Ivan sat outside, enjoying the cool air while it lasted.

Alfred wolfed down his school-supplied lunch as Ivan picked at his Alfred-supplied sandwich. Not long after the first few days of school, Al decided Ivan's missing lunch was obviously a combination of some form of child abuse and some crazy-and-totally-unhealthy crash diet. So, Al took matters into his own hands and supplied Ivan with lunch. Ivan never looked too thrilled, but ate it anyway. Alfred knew he appreciated the gesture.

Right now, though, they were looking everywhere but at each other. The silence was _killing_ Alfred, so he said the first thing that came to mind. "Are you going to the dance?"

Ivan looked up from his sandwich. "Dance?"

"Homecoming. Or, the football game, too, right? But we suck and no one goes to those..."

'I was not planning on it, no."

"Oh, well, how come? Is it because you have no one to go with? Neither do I! We could go together, separately! It'd be awesome!"

Ivan hesitated a bit. "I...don't think I have anything to wear."

Alfred burst out laughing. "Seriously? You're not going because of _that_? That's a dumb reason. I probably have something suitable...maybe." Ivan really was a _lot_ bigger than Alfred, but Al wouldn't let _that_ get in the way!

Ivan looked at Al, expressionless. He then rolled his eyes.

"No, really! We can totally do this! You're _going_ to that dance. Finish your sandwich."

Ivan smiled. "Yes, mother."

They sat in silence for a few moments more, before Alfred, again, felt the need to speak. "Hey, Mattie's trying to get a hockey team started in town. They have a rink and used to have a team I guess? Dunno why they stopped, but Mattie wants to bring it back. He wants to get that scary Swedish guy – from the butcher's? - to coach the team. I may join, if he needs me. You should, too! It'd be nice to see you do something outside of school..."

Ivan stared at a spot on the table, clearly not paying much attention to what his friend was saying. Nearly inaudibly, he mumbled, "So Berwald is a butcher now, I wonder what keeps them here. They don't seem to leave unless..." He blinked, and looked at Alfred. "My sisters are gone."

Alfred blinked back. "'Gone' as in dead? Er, sorry? Wait, when did you get sisters?"

"Home. They went home. I wish..." He trailed off and seemed to be far, far away. Then, he blinked and, in an emotionless tone, said, "I should go. I don't feel well."

Alfred nodded and waved him away. "You don't sound well. Go."

Ivan still didn't look entirely _there_ as he nodded and left. Alfred joined his brother in the cafeteria.

* * *

><p>Ivan didn't show up for a few days, and Al took this time to get closer to Matthew's friends. There was Carlos, a loud Cuban boy who, for some reason, hated Alfred. That was just fine – Alfred hated him right back. But he was his brother's friend, so he'd deal with it. (Even if being friends with Carlos was a terrible move on his brother's part.) There was Erik, an expressionless boy who looked like a girl (it seemed he was neck-deep in the metrosexual-hipster thing) with roots deep in Iceland. He hung out a lot with an equally expressionless boy with black hair and thick eyebrows, name Horace. "Chelle", it turned out, was actually named <em>Mi<em>chelle, and when not hanging around Mattie she hung out with a cute sophomore named Lily.

They were all very nice, polite people (minus that dick Carlos); the perfect kind of people for Mattie. Alfred was happy for him, really.

But,t _these people_ didn't laugh at Al's jokes, didn't appreciate his stories, and got incredibly offended when he playfully punched Erik's arm to make a point.

He couldn't _wait_ for Ivan to come back.

When he finally did, things went back to pretty much normal.

* * *

><p>A weeks and a half later, it was Homecoming. Al had thought about going to the game, but figured it wouldn't be worth it. He wasn't crazy about paying five dollars to sit on a frozen bench on a cold October night just to watch the team lose 45-0 in the first half. Al had nothing against football, but there was a difference in <em>watching<em> it and _playing_ it (especially when they lost by so much).

_Right now_, he was standing outside the bathroom with a pair of jeans. The doors to the dance closed in four mintues, and if they didn't get in _now_, they wouldn't be allowed in _ever_.

Al banged on the door. "C'mon, dude, hurry up!"

"J-Just a few more minutes!"

"We don't _have_ a few more minutes!" Alfred banged open the bathroom door and barged inside, Ivan stood in the center of the single-stall bathroom, disheveled and blushing, with Alfred's pants (The ones his father had bought a few sizes too big as a subtle way of calling him fat) around his thighs. "What are you doing? Hurry up, we have to go!"

"Do we _have_ to?" Ivan whined, trying to hide his red face in his scarf. "I've never gone to a dance before! I don't see why I have to start now."

"You've _never_ been to a dance before? You _need_ to! It's part of the school experience, and they're a ton of fun! Now, finish getting dressed."

"But I can't!" Here, Ivan looked completely distressed as he tugged hopelessly on the beltloops of the pants. "They don't fit!"

"O-oh. Er." Alfred looked at the pants, as if seeing them for the first time. He could totally see where Ivan was coming from, but there was no way he'd let him win this. "They fit fine! Just lest me..." He grasped the waistband and gave one big _pull_, and yanked them up. "Ha! See? Now just suck in your gut so I can button them."

"But I already am!" Ivan, bless his heart, looked absolutely _miserable_. Alfred felt bad for him. Not enough to let him get out of going to this dance, though.

"There, got it! How are they?"

"I don't think I can sit down... Can't I wear my jeans?"

"You don't need to sit. This is a _dance_, and you can't just wear jeans because _this is a dance_." Alfred said this as if it made all the sense in the world because, obviously, it did. He gave Ivan a playful slap to the his derriere, said "Your ass looks _great_ in these", and waltzed out dragging his friend.

They made it to the dance just in time.

The dance turned out to be unfathomably boring. Of course, Alfred made it a Top Priority to bother Matthew and gush over how cute he and Michelle looked, but beyond that there wasn't much there. On the dance floor, there were a bunch of students grinding each other. In each corner was a group of people standing around, complaining about how they looked, who came with who, "she wore _that?!_"'s, and other gossipy things done at dances. Al usually kept up with popular music and dance moves, but somehow the DJ was playing nothing good at all. Alfred snuck a glance at Ivan, who looked uncomfortable and kept fiddling with the hem of his sweater. "So...wanna dance?"

Ivan started, and looked at Al, then the dance floor. "You want me to dance with you? That isn't dancing."

Alfred jumped a bit and shook strange ideas out of his head. "Yeah, that's mostly how people dance. And I was thinkin' we could just do something dumb like the sprinkler or, I dunno, the Macarana? Though, I could probably find someone more feminine for us."

"N-no, that's fine. But, what is the...Macarana?"

Al's jaw dropped, and his eyes got so wide it seemed they may fall out of his head. "You...you..._what_?! How do you _not_ know? Have you been living under a rock?!" He didn't seem to notice or care about the stares he earned from the people around him. In a mock English accent (which earned him a particularly dirty look from the security guard), he said, "Good God, man!"

Ivan looked frantically to his left and righ, eyes wide and the slightest bit frightened. "I, uh,...um..."

Ignoring Ivan's feeble search for escape, Alfred grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the DJ. "We are fixing this _now_. It's...it's like you aren't human! How does something like this _happen_?" This was just upsetting.

Al and the DJ had a quick discussion when they arrived, which rapidly developed into an argument over what _real_ music was. It ended with Al being casually escorted out of the cafeteria, with Ivan following behind. After an obligatory "-and _stay_ out", Alfred whipped out his trusty phone and slid down the wall to the floor.

"I can't _believe_ he doesn't have it. I mean, what self-respecting DJ _doesn't_ have that song? It's like, a _requirement_ or something. It is _necessary_ for a party." Alfred tapped furiously at his phone, clearly searching for _something_.

Ivan watched with interest, until he looked at the bathroom door. "If we're not going to be involved with the dance, can I change back?"

Alfred found what he was looking for on his phone and stood up. "Nope. Not until you learn the Macarana." He began tugging Ivan away from the cafeteria and bathrooms, towards the F wing with the Gym and Auxillary Gym. Even if the gyms weren't open (Alfred was counting on 'Not') the hallways was at least empty and echoed.

Ivan resisted and tugged back. "But I can't really move. It hurts. So does breathing. How can I dance if I can't move or breathe?"

Al huffed as he tugged even harder. Ivan may have been bigger than him, but Alfred had freakish strength. "Just deal with it. And if breathing hurts so much, don't. Problem solved."

"But..."

"Oh my _God_, Ivan. _What_?" Alfred snapped.

Ivan took a step back, expression darkening. "Nothing. Nevermind."

Al opened his mouth to press him, but before he could say anything he was interrupted by a voice that sounded awfully like his own.

"Aw. First lover's quarrel?"

"_Matt._" Al warned.

Ivan answered with a simple, "No."

"Oh," Matt continued, "You've fought before?"

Alfred stepped closer to his brother. "There's no need to show off in front of your girlfriend."

"And I'm pretty sure your boyfriend can stand up for himself."

"_We're not-_"

"Oh? But only couples leave dances."

"I was _going_ to_ teach_ him the _Macarana_!"

At this point, Chelle (who stood behind a pillar, not wanting to interfere in the brothers' argument)and Ivan were standing there uncomfortably. Ivan tried excusing himself, but no one paid attention. Finally, he gave up and (loudly) said, "Good-night Alfred, I should go now, I will give you your pnats on Monday."

Matt looked at Alfred and smirked.

* * *

><p>Soon, Halloween came. That morning, Matthew took up far too much bathroom time (Al accussed him of being a girl), and Alfred didn't get a chance to get in before they had to leave for school.<p>

So Al used a bathroom at school. No big deal, right? Right.

...Except for when he turned the faucet on to wash his hands, and something that was _certainly_ not water came out.

Alfred shrieked in a totally manly way and hopped back, rubbing his hands hands together to remove what _better be rust_-

The minute he heard laughter he got the _fuck out_ of the bathroom. Yeah, he wasn't planning on using this bathroom ever again.

Or any of them, for that matter.

In fact, Al was currently criticizing his father's choice of schools, his own choice of _getting up and coming to school_ on motherfucking Halloween, and _where the fuck was Ivan_-?

Alfred tried telling his brother, his brother's friends, random kids in the hallway, and even some teachers about the sink, but no one cared or believed him.

It didn't help that he was freaking out and not the most coherent every time he tried explaining the school's faulty, supernatural-induced plumbing.

Actually, Mr. L seemed to be acting strangely, too. He checked the time more, stumbled over his sentences, and, when Alfred mentioned the definitely-NOT water coming from a sink, nearly dropped his coffee mug.

Something was _certainly_ wrong if the normally-calm (but sometimes nervous) Mr. L acted like he committed a felony. Alfred tried finding him, but any time he wasn't teaching he just vanished.

The day's strangest occurrence, (by far) though, happened at lunch. Rather, it _began_ at lunch, when Ivan arrived.

Alfred sat with his brother, trying his hardest to forget about the freaky faucet. A few minutes after lunch began, Alfred heard a frantic tapping on the window. Already completely freaked out, he looked up to see...Ivan holding a plain paper bag and waving at Al to come out. He did, ignoring the late October chill as he sat down at their table.

"You know, we can't keep coming out here. It's getting too cold."

"So wear a coat," Ivan said. He opened the bag and began pulling out some bits of food. "I hardly notice a thing."

Alfred muttered something that sounded suspiciously similar to "Russian freak", before bringing up Very Important Matters. "Where the fuck were you today? And you brought lunch? You never bring lunch."

Ivan smiled and placed a bit of something in front of Al. "Today is special. And, you never cared about me not being around before."

"Yeah, well, before the faucets didn't spew out rust water." Al poked the..._thing_ Ivan put in front of him. "Why's today so special? It's just Halloween. Unless...you seem like you'd get a real kick outta scaring the literal crap out of kids."

Ivan gave a little laugh and asked, "What if it was not rust?" He took a bite out of one of his dough-things. "Did I mention this school may be haunted?" After swallowing, he continued. "Ah, today is special for me."

Alfred glared at Ivan. "Not. Funny. Like, not at all. Ghosts are scary as _fuck_." He glanced down at the dough-thing, then up at Ivan, and back down at the mystery-food. "What is this?"

"Peirogi." Ivan bit into another. "You should try it, they are very good. Don't listen to Feliks; they are from Russia, not Poland."

"Who's Feliks?" Alfred asked, before following Ivan's instructions and shoving the entire thing in his mouth. He nodded in approval at the taste, and reached for more. "These are really good!"

"Ivan slapped Al's hand away. "I know they are. But these are mine. We can visit Feliks later and get more." He stopped suddenly, and looked uncertain. "That is, ah, if you want to hang out later."

Alfred _beamed_. "With you? Seriously, you want to do something outside of school? _Of course_ we can! We can get more food, and play games, and order pizza and maybe get Mattie and some other peopl and play hockey—because you like it, right?—and _oh man_ this'll be so great!" It wasn't every day your sort-of best friend (who you only ever saw at school and may or may not have had a shitty family life) could hang out outside of school!

The rest of the day was totally awesome, just how Alfred planned. They did everything they wanted to (which turned out to be whatever Al wanted to do, as Ivan was pretty passive about it all), and even got to scare some kids! Alfred didn't notice how amazed Ivan was at Al's game consols, TV, and surround sound (Alfred knew they were pretty impressive), or how he kept checking the time.

He _did_ notice how great Ivan was to lean on, though, and fell asleep on him during their horror movie marathon.

Certainly Ivan wouldn't mind. Though, Al would never tell him that it was a nearly conscious decision, especially when he woke up with no Ivan.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Okay see when I said I would update in March I meant March of 2013. So, see, I'm totally early.

No okay yeah I'm really sorry about that. S-see, I was anticipating a hellish semester, but I wasn't expecting it to be THAT bad. (I was passing and then I was failing and my mom was threatening to withdraw me and be institutionalized and then I passed but failed again but somehow manged not to and everything sucked and school ended and I stared out my window for four months really it was great.)

Th-a lot of that wasn't supposed to happen that way. I'm really sorry if it's terrible; I tried to make it not be but I'm not good at things. Also: THERE ARE SOME THINGS WRONG AND I TOOK SOME LIBERTIES WITH THE GAMEBOY I KNOW but see, I needed to make it work.

So, yay, updating on the first day of classes. And, ah...I have no idea about the next update. It's only a half chapter, so it shouldn't be as long, but I kind of hate all my classes and I need to try to not fail this time. So keep you fingers crossed and your eyes steered away from the calendar.


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